[UNSOLVED] WEX.NZ REFUSING TO UNLOCK MY ACCOUNT (thousands of dollars)

[scammedbybtce]

my story:

I didn't access my btc-e account as well for over one year.

1. got asked by btc-e to provide transaction history - provided
2. got asked to create and verify my account with xbtce - account created, verification attempted
3. xbtce asks me for ID and proof of address - provided via upload
4. xbtce asks me for notary certified ID and proof of address as well as income statement from my employer as "proof of income" - provided
5. now after more than 10 days waiting after the last upload they ask me to send all the notary certified documents to a shady address in Malaysia:

"To complete verification of your account please send notarized copies by post to address
27.03, 27th floor, Menara TA One # 22 Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
postal/zip code 50250
Contact person: Amnah Othman
+603 21 637777
fax + 603 21 633878"

so, I am fed up now after several months back and forth. I have offered them to contact me and to use other ways to 100% verify my identity. If any at all I get standard responses and long wait times before the next "idea" they come up with to keep me waiting to access my funds.

Anyone who already started legal or other significant actions besides filing the UK internet fraud form please pm me, so we can coordinate

[1714038575]

1714038575

[1714038575]

1714038575

[Steven009]

my story:

I didn't access my btc-e account as well for over one year.

1. got asked by btc-e to provide transaction history - provided
2. got asked to create and verify my account with xbtce - account created, verification attempted
3. xbtce asks me for ID and proof of address - provided via upload
4. xbtce asks me for notary certified ID and proof of address as well as income statement from my employer as "proof of income" - provided
5. now after more than 10 days waiting after the last upload they ask me to send all the notary certified documents to a shady address in Malaysia:

"To complete verification of your account please send notarized copies by post to address
27.03, 27th floor, Menara TA One # 22 Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
postal/zip code 50250
Contact person: Amnah Othman
+603 21 637777
fax + 603 21 633878"

so, I am fed up now after several months back and forth. I have offered them to contact me and to use other ways to 100% verify my identity. If any at all I get standard responses and long wait times before the next "idea" they come up with to keep me waiting to access my funds.

Anyone who already started legal or other significant actions besides filing the UK internet fraud form please pm me, so we can coordinate

My situation is pretty similar, except that I actually sent the documents to that address.

My account was verified after they received my physical copies notarized. And now, around just 2 days later after I contacted BTC-e telling them the "good" news, my account was reversed back to "Not Verified".

Their explanation?

"To complete verification of your account, please provide us with a notarized copy of a source of funds declaration equal to your deposit amount.

Thank you.

Best regards,
Support Team."

Can someone even try to explain to me what they're requesting here? I, honestly, don't know exactly what they're asking.

[cryptodevil]

"To complete verification of your account, please provide us with a notarized copy of a source of funds declaration equal to your deposit amount.

FFS, they are reaching now. This basically means they are asking you to provide a notarised copy of an undefined 'declaration' (Bank statement?) which supposedly shows where the original fiat funds came from before they were used to buy bitcoin. It appears they actually want to see the transaction details of the original deposit amount they were sent.

Yet another prime example of how there is clearly a concerted effort at BTC-E to deny people access to their funds under the guise of onerous, and largely arbitrary, AML and KYC rules which are not being applied correctly or evenly.

As has been mentioned already, it is entirely possible that this procedure whereby they keep requesting more and more details and ID documentation from their customers, is both a way to deny access to those locked out of their accounts and accumulate a lot of valuable Identity data.

These people are not Kraken, they do not have a public presence anywhere outside of electronic company registers and virtual offices. There is every reason to suspect nefarious intent with regards to the collection of so much information from customers they likely have little intention of making whole.

[3DesTeam]

Guys from russian thread are discussing potential scam of btc-e. The exchange is offline for 16 hours to the time of this post.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2014424
I'm hope that it's wrong information and we will see this exchange online soon.

[mindrust]

Guys from russian thread are discussing potential scam of btc-e. The exchange is offline for 16 hours to the time of this post.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2014424
I'm hope that it's wrong information and we will see this exchange online soon.

Guys at reddit tells that it might be an exchange hack. It seems just after some coins moved out from the cold storage address, btc-e went offline.

Btc-e said they had to maintenance their stuff before they went offline but I don't believe that  somehow.

[scammedbybtce]

Unfortunately, an exit scam is what I smell as well.

They would have so many means to verify an identity and to comply with AML / KYC. But thanks to Steven009 at least we know now what will be delay tactics nr. 6...

If those guys will try to run, that should be really hard to do for an entire life.

Soft-FX has programmed their software and Mayzus Financial Services has been their financial broker. As soon as those two companies will get scrutinized after a prosecution of this scam the identities will be revealed. Will not be funny for them once they get extradicted to the US...

[mindrust]

The shit just got real.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-unicredit-attack-idUSKBN1AB0QE?il=0

Greek police arrested a Russian man suspected of running a money laundering operation involving turning $4 billion from illicit business activities into the digital currency bitcoin, they said on Wednesday.

Police did not name the 38-year-old, who was arrested in the northern Greek region of Chalkidiki on Monday on a U.S. warrant.

He is suspected of heading a criminal organization since 2011 that "owns, operates and manages one of the world's leading e-crime websites", police said in a statement.

I don't think btc-e will ever be able to recover from this If this man is the owner/partner of btc-e.com. He is in the hands of the secret service now.

"operates and manages one of the world's leading e-crime websites" This sentence alone guarantees that any money on btc-e is seized by the FEDs already.

Had some more thoughts on the subject.

Maybe he was caught long before this and he made a deal with the secret service. That's why btc-e tried to collect every private information they can from its users. They were trying to have a list of their users so they can share it with the FEDs.

And the money... They were never going to give them back.

[scammedbybtce]

well, if Alexander Vinnik really is a key btc-e operator and most assets have been seized, there are chances that lawful and verified asset owners are being reimbursed, because those assets were not assets of the site. However, its going to be a lengthy process with a lot of administrative procedures...

[JamesNoJosh]

In way I happy that they got shut down. I rather lose my money to the USA and maybe have a chance to file a claim. I am a legit owner of my coins with hard earned money.

[Steven009]

The shit just got real.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-unicredit-attack-idUSKBN1AB0QE?il=0

Greek police arrested a Russian man suspected of running a money laundering operation involving turning $4 billion from illicit business activities into the digital currency bitcoin, they said on Wednesday.

Police did not name the 38-year-old, who was arrested in the northern Greek region of Chalkidiki on Monday on a U.S. warrant.

He is suspected of heading a criminal organization since 2011 that "owns, operates and manages one of the world's leading e-crime websites", police said in a statement.

I don't think btc-e will ever be able to recover from this If this man is the owner/partner of btc-e.com. He is in the hands of the secret service now.

"operates and manages one of the world's leading e-crime websites" This sentence alone guarantees that any money on btc-e is seized by the FEDs already.

Had some more thoughts on the subject.

Maybe he was caught long before this and he made a deal with the secret service. That's why btc-e tried to collect every private information they can from its users. They were trying to have a list of their users so they can share it with the FEDs.

And the money... They were never going to give them back.

If that's true, then I think it's for the better. I have more chances in recovering what's mine through the system (even tho it'll be a lengthily process) than trying to recover through BTC-e.

[WhiteLine]

Someone from btc-e profile replied today on their own thread with Russian language:

Увaжaeмыe пoльзoвaтeли!

Update2: Ha дaнный мoмeнт вeдyтcя paбoты пo вoccтaнoвлeнию paбoты cepвиca. Пpимepныe cpoки oт 5 дo 10 днeй. Cпacибo зa пoнимaниe

C yвaжeниeм support btc-e.com

Google translate:

Dear users!

Update2: At the moment, work is underway to restore the service. Approximate terms from 5 to 10 days. Thank you for understanding

Best regards support btc-e.com

Steven hope you will recover your account, good luck.

[scammedbybtce]

see this post that explains the role of Alexander Vinnik and btc-e to some extend

http://blog.wizsec.jp/2017/07/breaking-open-mtgox-1.html?m=1

• After the coins (...stolen from Mt Gox) entered Vinnik's wallets, most were moved to BTC-e and presumably sold off or laundered (BTC-e money codes were a popular choice). In total some 300,000 BTC ended up on BTC-e, while other coins were deposited to other exchanges, including MtGox itself.
• Some of the funds moved to BTC-e seem to have moved straight to internal storage rather than customer deposit addresses, hinting at a relationship between Vinnik and BTC-e.
  The stolen MtGox coins were not the only stolen coins handled by Vinnik; coins stolen from Bitcoinica, Bitfloor and several other thefts from back in 2011 and 2012 were all laundered through the same wallets.

so there are still chances that btc-e comes back if they comply. Hopefully with more respect for users like steven and me.

[cryptodevil]

so there are still chances that btc-e comes back if they comply.

I don't see why they would come back.

Unless, perhaps, we're going to witness the usual 'we wuz haxxored so we're not allowing withdrawals right now' excuse, followed by attempts to convince people to make deposits under the guise of various promises to 'prioritise' their withdrawal requests etc. Given they are supposed to have many millions in bitcoin on their books, I don't see how they'd be bothered to go through that effort just to skim a few more from the desperate and gullible.

No, I think this is pretty much the end of the exchange and the best anyone can hope for is that they might be able to, eventually, file a claim to whichever legal authority has control of seized funds.

[scammedbybtce]

@cryptodevil: surely a likely course of action.

either way: some black sheeps less in the business

[scammedbybtce]

and here come the official FinCEN accusations:

https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-fines-btc-e-virtual-currency-exchange-110-million-facilitating-ransomware

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), working in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, assessed a $110,003,314 civil money penalty today against BTC-e a/k/a Canton Business Corporation (BTC-e) for willfully violating U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) laws.  Russian national Alexander Vinnik, one of the operators of BTC-e, was arrested in Greece this week, and FinCEN assessed a $12 million penalty against him for his role in the violations.

Full PDF
https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement_action/2017-07-26/Assessment%20for%20BTCeVinnik%20FINAL%20SignDate%2007.26.17.pdf

[Steven009]

After they gave us the opportunity to reclaim our funds on btc-e.nz, guess what? My account is still locked.

[Steven009]

Still fighting the fight.

[JamesNoJosh]

THERE IS A 10K BOUNTY OUT NOW

https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@thejamesfund/usd10-000-reward-bounty-or-split-among-individual-s-in-helping-me-blasting-btc-e-aka-wex-nz-info-below

[Steven009]

Here we go again... The kind of procedure is exactly the same. They ( @WEX-OFFICIAL ) make you wait for days without end, close your tickets, and when you make another one they ignore it or (insert: loop) just close it once again.

It's the same modus operandi of former BTC-e, and I dare to say it's the same incompetent staff.

[Rannoch]

Hey, mr 'krack-r', how about you use some of your m@d cR@kInG 5K177z to actually format your fucking posts properly and stop repeatedly full-quoting for no good reason?

OK, how may of the documents have you seen with your eyes?

*I* haven't seen a thing. BTC-E, however, obviously HAVE seen these documents in the private correspondence that has been going on between 'steven' and their support desk for the last 13 months.

Second, how does one NOTARIZE a document over EMAIL???

Jesus fucking Henry Christ, how wilfully dumb do you have to be to continue posting your ignorance for all to see? He hasn't notarized them over email, he obviously had it done locally and emailed BTC-E copies of the notarized document!

The Idea of Notarization is to see the Notary Stamp (which you could verify by CALLING THEM!) along with your names and address.

Which part of the following are you struggling to understand?

I've notarized the documents they have asked for, it's publicly available and has a commission number (#) valid until July 2017.

The emailed documents have the notary's information they can verify themselves, that's what he's making clear in this comment that you either didn't bother to read or cannot understand.

This is not about bitcoin, this is about a centralised business withholding customer funds even though the customer has used internationally-recognised legal certification to prove he is the same person matching the identity records they already have on file for that locked account. If BTC-E have been given the information they asked for and have not provided any reason or evidence to suggest the notarized ID documentation that has been provided is false, but are continuing to refuse to release the customer's funds back to him, then this has much larger and far more serious implications for their client base as a whole.

So GTFO of this thread you idiocy-spamming mong.

~

krack-r is short for crack rock, not cracker, IDIOT!

Anything sent over email could be faked.
The official channel is regular mail.
Otherwise anything could be faked.
Original documents, notarized, not over email.

Lets put the cards on the table, here. Is he a shill account of yours? I'm wondering as to why am I arguing with you and not the OP? Unless you're the same person.

Mark my words people, if this money go into Steven009's hands within a few weeks the real owner will probably start a similar topic somewhere else.
Think how would you feel if someone steals your coins.
I am also stunned that you claim you haven't seen a thing, and you're siding with him. Why? He might not have been saying the truth. It's a thing humans do to cover their asses, when they do wicked shit.
In any case it appears that you know something no one else knows.
Since you're "the police" (almost peed from laughter) here.


Looks like you haven't read the previous posts and screenshots, provided by the scammer:
Just a reminder. He claims that he notarized the screenshot, showing him sending the coins to the address. This is not serious. He denied sending the passport.
And once again - if he is saying the truth it's simple - just send notarized documents via regular mail (stamped and everything) and the whole thing goes away.

The resistance from doing the above shows that the person is not genuine. Means he has something to hide.
Anyway - I hope the real owner figures it out before it gets too late.

The fact that he didn't file a complaint with the Police, or another institution is very fishy.
Extremely fishy I'd say. A normal person wouldn't wait for 1 year. If the exchange delayed replies, someone who actually owned the money would have went berzerk, and would have sent a lawyer.

Be careful.

This scammer has resurfaced again.